Mark 5:21-43
When Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a great crowd gathered around him; and he was by the sea. Then one of the leaders of the synagogue named Jairus came and, when he saw him, fell at his feet and begged him repeatedly, “My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well, and live.”
So he went with him. And a large crowd followed him and pressed in on him. Now there was a woman who had been suffering from hemorrhages for twelve years. She had endured much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had; and she was no better, but rather grew worse. She had heard about Jesus, and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, for she said, “If I but touch his clothes, I will be made well.” Immediately her hemorrhage stopped; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. Immediately aware that power had gone forth from him, Jesus turned about in the crowd and said, “Who touched my clothes?” And his disciples said to him, “You see the crowd pressing in on you; how can you say, ‘Who touched me?’” He looked all around to see who had done it. But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling, fell down before him, and told him the whole truth. He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.”
While he was still speaking, some people came from the leader’s house to say, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the teacher any further?” But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the leader of the synagogue, “Do not fear, only believe.” He allowed no one to follow him except Peter, James, and John, the brother of James. When they came to the house of the leader of the synagogue, he saw a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly. When he had entered, he said to them, “Why do you make a commotion and weep? The child is not dead but sleeping.” And they laughed at him. Then he put them all outside, and took the child’s father and mother and those who were with him, and went in where the child was. He took her by the hand and said to her, “Talitha cum,” which means, “Little girl, get up!” And immediately the girl got up and began to walk about (she was twelve years of age). At this they were overcome with amazement. He strictly ordered them that no one should know this, and told them to give her something to eat.
There is so much in this Gospel lesson. We could go with Jesus flipping “The Cootie Rule” upside down. The Cootie Rule states that Cooties ONLY pass FROM the infected TO the uninfected. In both the case of the woman with the hemorrhage and the dead little girl, both of those SHOULD have, by the Cootie Rule, ONLY made Jesus unclean. But in this story Jesus flips the Cootie Rule TWICE and INFECTS both the woman and the little girl each cleanliness, wholeness, and life. We could go with that. But we aren’t.
We could go with this Gospel as an “Inclusio” or a “Story within a Story” or, “a Gospel Sandwich.” Stories told like this have a multiplying effect on the main point. We could even look beyond just today’s Gospel sandwich and see that chapters 4 and 5 of Mark’s Gospel are actually more like a Gospel Smörgåstårta which, of course you know, is a multi level Swedish sandwich cake. A bread layer, then a shrimp salad layer, then a bread layer, then a hard boiled egg layer, then a bread layer, then maybe a smoked salmon layer, then more bread… and so on. Chapter 4 starts with a layer of Parables, then Jesus stills the storm, then he sends a legion of demons into a herd of pigs, then there’s another layer of crossing the sea, then the layer meeting Jairus on the beach, then a layer with the woman, then a final layer with Jairus’ daughter. We could have gone that way and driven home the two chapter point that there is absolutely NOTHING… not religious leaders, not slow witted disciples, not the chaos of creation, not demons, not any illness, and finally... not even DEATH… there is absolutely NOTHING that it OUT of Jesus’ control. But we’re not going to go there either.
We could go with Jarius’ daughter. We could see that what really matters with her is not whether or not she is dead or sick, but that either way, SHE did absolutely NOTHING to get Jesus to give her wholeness and life. She didn’t say a prayer. She didn’t make a decision for Jesus. She was given wholeness, healing, and life as Jesus always does for everyone… with no strings attached... a complete gift. But we’re not going to go with that one either.
What we’re going to go with today is Jairus and what we can learn from him about what genuine believing really looks like and what it doesn’t look like… What following Jesus really looks like and what it doesn’t look like… and what being a Christian really looks like and what being a Christian doesn’t look like.
The first thing Jairus teaches us about real believing, following Jesus, and being a Christian is that Jairus shows up where Jesus is and by extension Jairus is with the people Jesus is with. He’s not in the synagogue. He’s not kneeling on the floor of the House of Representatives in a circle praying. He’s not sharing posts on social media to prove his faith. He’s not angling to get the ten commandments posted in every classroom. Where is he? He’s with Jesus and the people Jesus cares most about. He’s with a woman who the health care system has let down. He’s with a woman who has been thrown out of her own community. Jesus is with the sick and broke and outcast and because that is where Jesus is, THAT is where Jairus is. THAT’S what real believing looks like. THAT’s what genuine Christianity looks like.
From Jairus’ time to our time, that has not changed! When WE are with the sick, outcast, beaten down, cut off… then WE are with the people Jesus is with and we are with Jesus. THAT is what genuine Christianity looks like. Public prayers, kneeling, posting tests of faith and commandments… none of that puts anyone in the presence of Jesus. Jesus is always with people in need. If you’re looking to be in Jesus’ presence as Jairus was, then put yourself in the presence of the broken, the outcast, the oppressed!
The next we see of Jairus he’s been stopped in the street by people telling him his daughter is dead. Jesus says, “Do not fear, only believe.” Now, I want you to really see here… I really want you to completely understand exactly what Jesus was telling Jairus, when he told him to believe. Jesus wasn’t telling Jairus to believe in his head. Jairus’ head was swimming in a pitch dark pit of horror having just heard his daughter is dead. Jairus’ head couldn’t believe. Jesus wasn’t telling Jairus to believe in his heart. His heart was profoundly broken. It was completely shattered. Jairus’ heart couldn’t believe. Jesus was telling Jairus to believe in the place where all true and genuine believing actually happens… in his legs and in his feet. Jesus was telling Jairus to follow in his footsteps… one foot and then the other… to walk where Jesus walked… no matter where that led. THAT is what believing looks like. THAT is what it looks like to be a follower of Jesus… THAT is what it looks like to be a Christian.
These days fewer than half of the people in our country have any connection with a faith community. Over half the country has no idea what real Christianity is and what's a fraud. It is time for the church... which is regular folks like you and me to point out real Christianity when we see it so those folks will know. Its also time for the church... for regular folks like you and me to point out fraudulent christianity when we see it, so people will know that too.
Before Reinhold Niebhur was sent to the concentration camp, when much of what passed for christianity had become intertwined with the Nazi government Pastor Niebhur told his congregation, "away with the bushel!" He told them it that while it tempting to keep their heads down, to shelter genuine Christianity like a candle under a bushel basket until the storm blew over, THAT would not be REAL believing, following, or Christianity. They needed to believe and follow and live as genuine Christians, living and speaking the Truth as Jesus did. It is our time to do the same. It is time for us to say "away with the bushel", to walk step by step in Jesus' footsteps and to call out at the top of our voices both the real Christianity we see around us and the fake. Amen.
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